All things animal in Southern California and beyond

Adopt-a-Pet: Five great dogs and cats waiting for new homes at Southern California shelters

July 9, 2010 | 6:16
pm

As the weekend approaches, potential pet adopters may be contemplating a trip to a shelter or adoption agency to meet their new best friend.

With the aid of some local shelter staff, volunteers and rescuers, we've assembled a short list of some of the pets looking for homes in the L.A. area. Of course, there are far too many wonderful animals to list!

For starters, Sally (ID# A4145963), right, found herself at the Baldwin Park animal shelter when her former owner decided to surrender her there on June 22. She's about a year old and has one of the cutest, scruffiest terrier faces we've ever seen -- we just can't over that single pointy ear!

Volunteers describe Sally as sweet-tempered and good with both people and other dogs. See video of her in action or meet her in person at the Baldwin Park shelter, 4275 N. Elton in Baldwin Park.

SpcaLA staff describe Chandler as a fun-loving, playful kitten who loves playing with catnip toys and chasing a dangling-feather toy. But he also has a softer side and enjoys curling up on a friendly lap to take a nap.

For more information about Chandler, call (310) 676-1149 or visit him in person at the South Bay Pet Adoption Center, 12910 Yukon Ave. in Hawthorne.

If Chandler's not the one for you but you're interested in adopting another cat kitten through spcaLA, be sure to check out the organization's upcoming Kittenpalooza event at the South Bay Pet Adoption Center on Saturday, July 17. Adopters at the event even receive a free gift bag!

Franny (ID# A1121217), right, is a spayed female yellow Labrador retriever mix "who is so much prettier than portrayed in this photo," West Los Angeles animal shelter volunteer Mirja Bishop says. Franny, who came into the shelter as a stray, is believed to be about 8 years old, but "in spirit this dog is young at heart and raring to go," according to Bishop.

Franny loves people and seems to be good with other dogs as well. "She has an amazing personality with a very gentle temperament and a happy, tail-wagging disposition," Bishop says.

The one thing Franny loves most in the world is a good game of fetch, so she'd make a great companion for someone with energy to match. "She has an amazing ability to catch a ball thrown to her from just about any distance," according to Bishop. "She does a good job of returning the ball and then waits patiently for the ball to be thrown again and again and again. Rarely does she miss!"

Meet Franny in person at the West Los Angeles animal shelter, 11361 West Pico Blvd.

Auburn (ID# A1128000), left, is a female cocker spaniel mix who arrived at the South Los Angeles animal shelter after being picked up as a stray in late June. She weighs about 17 pounds, so she's the perfect size to sit on your lap without getting lost in the couch cushions!

Auburn is a favorite of volunteers at the shelter, who hope she'll find a wonderful new home soon.

Meet Auburn in person at the South Los Angeles shelter, 3612 11th Ave.

Anna Hernandez, the coordinator of the New Hope rescue program at the North Central animal shelter, says that, with kitten season in full swing, the facility is full to overflowing with adorable kittens of every imaginable color and coat pattern.

Among them: This 3-month-old tortoiseshell female (ID# A1121517), who arrived at the shelter in early June and would certainly be happier in her own home! Meet her -- and dozens more like her -- in person at the North Central shelter, 3201 Lacy Street off the 5 Freeway in Lincoln Heights.

The Found Animals Foundation, which works to support pet adoption and provide low-cost spay and neuter surgeries, is offering a special discount on cat and kitten adoption fees at area animal shelters through Sept. 30. When you adopt two cats or kittens, Found Animals will cover the adoption fee of the second through its Summer Buddies program.

See more adoptable pets at the six L.A. City animal shelters (West Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, North Central, Harbor, East Valley and West Valley) at LAAnimalServices.com. See pets at the six L.A. County animal shelters (Agoura, Baldwin Park, Carson, Castaic, Downey and Lancaster) at AnimalCare.LACounty.gov. And see pets at the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority shelter in Downey at SEACCA.org.

And if your pet's a rescue, show us! Share your photos (.jpg format) and video at Your Scene, The Times' photo-sharing site, and be sure to include a caption that tells us a bit about your pet.